\n With an art career spanning more than five decades\, R
oland Petersen has honed his craft into a distinctive style that melds viv
id colors\, abstract patterns\, and an extensive understanding of light an
d shadow. Twenty paintings from throughout Petersen&rsquo\;s career will b
e on display.

\n

\n Petersen began his career as an abstract artist. After receiving
his master&rsquo\;s degree in 1950 from the University of California at Be
rkeley\, he studied with Hans Hofmann for a year. Petersen then dabbled in
printmaking in Paris and was an art history teacher in Pullman\, Washingt
on. His studies and jobs led him on a path from abstraction to realism. In
1956 he was hired as a professor at the University of California\, Davis\
, where he taught for more than 35 years. During this time he was introduc
ed to the region&rsquo\;s figurative artists who worked with big\, blocky
forms. This infused a more expressionistic style into Petersen&rsquo\;s pa
intings\, leading to the work he has created since the 1960s.